“If travel were a country, we would be the third-largest economy in the world.”
– WTTC’s Gloria Guevara on Travel’s record run and the markets reshaping it.
World Travel & Tourism Council President and CEO Gloria Guevara delivered a compelling keynote on the future of travel and tourism at the Railbookers Summit in Vancouver, followed by an intimate media roundtable attended by Travel Weekly‘s Nancy Hromin.
Railbookers President Frank Marini introduced Gloria Guevara as the most impressive CEO he has ever met, and he wasn’t wrong.
The head of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) opened with the question she says she gets everywhere she goes: is travel still growing? Despite conflict, extreme weather and geopolitical upheaval, her answer was an emphatic yes.
“Every week we are hearing something new, something different. But despite all of that, we continue growing,” Guevara said. “We are in the best sector. People love to travel.”
One voice for the industry
WTTC began 35 years ago, and today the council has more than 200 CEO members across airlines, airports, hotels, cruise, rail and technology. About 30 per cent are in the Americas, 30 per cent in Europe, 30 per cent in Asia, including Australia and 10 per cent elsewhere. WTTC measures the economic, social and environmental impact of travel across 184 countries and uses that data to lobby governments.
Record numbers
In 2025 travel and tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to the global economy (AU$16.6 trillion) or 10 per cent of global GDP, and supported 366 million jobs.
The number she most wants remembered is that since the pandemic, one in every three new jobs created worldwide has come from travel and tourism.
“Especially nowadays, with people talking about AI and jobs going away, we continue to create one out of three,” she said.
Visitors spent US$2 trillion (about AU$2.8 trillion) on international travel and US$5 trillion (about AU$7.1 trillion) domestically last year. Global growth was close to 4 per cent, led by Asia Pacific at 8 per cent and followed by the Middle East.
WTTC forecasts the sector will reach a record US$11.9 trillion (about AU$16.9 trillion) this year. That is growth of 2.5 per cent, just ahead of the global economy at 2.4 per cent, with domestic travel up 3 per cent. International growth has softened because of conflict in the Middle East, which handles one in seven international flights.
Asia Pacific remains the standout because governments are removing visa barriers and embracing technology.
“If you have been in Asia Pacific lately, you use biometrics, you are in and out of airports,” she said.
China’s quiet revolution
China is set to become the world’s largest outbound market by spend this year. WTTC expects it to overtake the US as the world’s biggest travel economy within about eight years.
Guevara said the turnaround came without fanfare. “They don’t make big announcements. But when you look at what they have done, it’s impressive.”
China has quietly removed visa requirements for around 50 nationalities. It has also rolled out biometrics at airports and rail stations, adopted AI translation and made payments easy for visitors. On a family holiday last year, Guevara linked her American Express card to Alipay and bought ice cream from a street vendor. Authorities also worked with the private sector to develop experiences for visitors.
The domestic market runs to some five billion trips a year. Outside government officials, Chinese citizens can now travel abroad as often as they like to approved destinations. They are spending heavily and moving steadily into the luxury segment.
Rail is part of the story too. Guevara described China’s train terminals as “very, very sophisticated – they look like airports”. She said the high-speed train she rode there far outpaced the fastest trains she has taken in Europe. Rail’s share of travel is still small next to aviation, but it is growing worldwide.
China is also ahead on AI. At a Beijing conference, delegates were handed glasses that showed live subtitled translation in 10 languages. Taxi drivers there routinely use AI to talk with visitors. “You don’t see that in some places in Europe yet,” she said.
India is next
“What we saw from China in the last five years, you’re going to see in India in the next five,” Guevara said.
Domestic demand is so strong that hotels sell out, while inbound arrivals are still only about 20 million. Indians are already the top visitor nationality in the Middle East and are travelling to Europe in growing numbers, though visas remain a barrier. Destination weddings are booming as well, with hotels in Mexico booked out for six-day celebrations.
WTTC’s Global Summit heads to Delhi next year.
A Southern Hemisphere opportunity
Travel Weekly asked about Southern Hemisphere representation on the council. Guevara said WTTC has “a small number” of Australian members, wants more, and held its Global Summit in Perth a couple of years ago.
She agreed that spreading travel’s benefits beyond crowded hotspots is critical. She noted that Italy’s Prime Minister had said around 94 per cent of travellers visit just 6 per cent of the country.
“We know the answer, and this is planning,” she said. That planning has to bring together the public sector, the private sector and communities. Latin America and Africa also hold “huge potential”, she added.
Lessons from crises
WTTC’s analysis of 90 crises over 20 years found that geopolitical events hit travel hardest. Before COVID, the worst was 9/11, which took more than three years to recover from, largely because security protocols varied so much between countries.
The lesson for destinations is to look after travellers in the middle of a crisis, because they come back faster. Guevara pointed to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, which housed and rerouted stranded passengers during the recent regional conflict. Is the world ready for another pandemic?
“Sadly, no.”
Flying responsibly
On “flight shaming” Guevara said the answer to travel’s 8 per cent share of global emissions is not to stop flying. She noted that food waste alone accounts for 8-10 per cent of global emissions.
“Do we agree we need to reduce emissions? Absolutely, yes. Do we agree we need to stop flying? No,” she said. “When travel to developing countries stopped during COVID, illegal deforestation and wildlife trafficking rose. It’s more complicated and nuanced than simply to say stop flying and take the train instead, especially when so many livelihoods in the world rely on international tourism.”
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